


Piercing

by ThePandoricaWillOpen



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), During Canon, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Sorry Not Sorry, Steve Feels, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 16:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7809325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePandoricaWillOpen/pseuds/ThePandoricaWillOpen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky asks Steve about his pierced ear. Things go down hill from there. One-Shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Piercing

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Bucky notices that Steve has his left earlobe pierced while they are on the 16 hour ride to Siberia.

The first thing Bucky notices after getting on the Quinjet with Steve is that Steve’s removed his helmet. That’s not weird, they are afterall safe and alone in the jet flying to Siberia and there was no danger around. Except for Bucky, but Steve didn’t believe he was dangerous no matter how much Bucky insisted he  _ can  _ be. 

The second thing he notes is Steve’s left earlobe. It was pierced, as in Steve had gotten someone to pierce his ear. Bucky, memories still digging their way through his mind on a daily basis, could not remember ever seeing  _ his _ Steve with a pierced ear, let alone an earing. It was a dangerous thing for a man to wear in their time. And yet, Steve had that little hole in his flesh. 

“What’s, um, what’s that?” he asks after Steve puts the plane on autopilot. 

Steve turns to him, brows furrowed. “What’s what?”

“On your ear,” Bucky answers. “It’s… pierced.”

“Yeah,” Steve says turning the chair around to face Bucky. “Dontcha remember?” 

“Remember what?”

“I’ve had this since before the war, you were the one who did it, Buck.”

“I don’t -”

“And then during the war, Dum Dum dared me to re-pierce it and you wouldn’t let me do it myself, said I would end up with no ear so you got me drunk and got a needle and just - “ He makes a popping sound with his mouth. 

“You passed out…” Bucky says recalling the memory slowly. “Couldn’t get you drunk so Dum Dum distracted you by asking you about our old neighborhood. It didn’t work so-”

“You told them about my art and - “

“- it got you blushing so hard it was enough to distract you.” He chuckles, remembering the blush covering Steve’s cheeks when the commando’s revealed that Bucky had shown them his art before. The little drawings he would send Bucky when he was in training, the ones Bucky kept close to his heart in a pocket inside his jacket. But Steve didn’t know the second bit. “I almost thought the needle would bend tryna get through your super soldier skin. Ah, man, you didn’t even bleed a lot. Just a little dot. But you passed out, didn’t you?”

“I think I was laughing so hard I forgot to breathe,” Steve nods, a smile wide on his face. “When I woke up, I had a reopened pierced ear.”

“You slumped over and I almost panicked. I thought I’d killed ya - found some super soldier off switch of something.”

“I don’t think I have one of those…” Steve thinks for a second. “No, wait I - I think I do.”

“Huh?” Bucky blinks.

“You,” Steve says, his tone serious.

“What did I do?”

“You’re my off switch, Buck.”

“Don’t say that, Stevie.” Bucky’s smile falters. “We were having such a great time and now you gotta -”

“It’s the truth. I’m not sure who I am without you at my side. I’m not sure I  _ like _ who I am without you at my side. I’m not  _ me,  _ not Steve Rogers … I’m Captain America.”

Bucky shakes his head. “Steve -”

“You can’t deny it. I’m nothing, I’ve been nothing but a shell of anger and loneliness since I woke up and found myself here. I’ve been fighting non-stop, ironic considering that’s how I got to be Captain in the first place. Cuz I was so willing to fight that I couldn’t think of anything else.”

“You’ve done fine without me,” Bucky protests. “Got yourself a little family and everything. Even got yourself a girl or two.”

“Because I  _ had _ to,” Steve points out. “I  _ had _ to to survive. SHIELD needed me, the world almost ended. Every year, have you noticed that, the world almost ends every year now.”

“The last few years have been… interesting,” Bucky concedes with a shrug.

“I can’t die,” Steve whispers. “At least not easily. I looked into it after I found Peggy in a …” He takes a deep breath, biting on his lower lip before continuing. “You were gone, she was gone, everyone I loved was gone. No point, you know? If there hadn’t been a disaster when I woke up, I would’ve stayed in the ice or fought until they had no choice but to killed me. I don’t care what Fury wanted, I would’ve -”

“Steve I-”

“And then you happened. You came back to me and suddenly, my heart pumped blood through my cold veins and I was alive again.”

“Fucking hell, Steve -”

“I know, you were trying to kill me at the time, but still -”

“Stop!”

“I’m sorry,” Steve wipes his eyes, breathing into his hands. Bucky doesn’t know what to do. He could lean forward and touch him, comfort him in some way. The old Bucky would do that, but he wasn’t the old Bucky. 

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here,” he admits softly.

“Nothing.” He stands up, avoiding Bucky’s eyes. “I’m going to take an inventory of … it’s on auto so we’ve got a couple of hours if you wanna, you know, um, rest or something.”

The third and final thing Bucky notices is that this Steve isn’t afraid of walking away.


End file.
